Social Media Means Less Scrutiny for PR Types

Before social media came into our lives, public relations professionals were highly dependent upon traditional media, namely newspapers, television and radio. While direct mail was a tool of outreach for communicators, it was expensive and, statistically, not all that effective in terms of generating concrete results. But traditional media had the eyes and ears of the general public. To reach them, communicators needed to cross over a bridge that was controlled largely by those same forms of media. Whether communicators purchased advertising space who successfully pitched stories, they had to do two things": develop positive ties with reporters and editors and work within guidelines established and enforced by journalists.

This meant public relations professionals were not always free to send out whatever messages and/or information they wished. Their communiques had to pass the close scrutiny of members of the press. To add to that challenge, the press could afford to be very picky about PR communiques they accepted or reacted to. After all, they were the primary game in town, so they could afford to be strict with the PR professionals. Thus, the press served as a check and balance against irresponsible public relations efforts. By adhering to high ethical standards, journalists forced public relations professionals, in large measure, to do the same.

That dynamic is almost entirely gone now. Public relations professionals no longer need traditional media nearly as much as they used to. Social media enables them to communicate directly with the public with no pre-journalistic review or editing. This change places public relations professionals much more in a self-regulating mode. They are more free to take liberties with accuracy, logical claims and responsible outreach. While I do not bemoan the rise of social media - I actually applaud it - it does cause me concern that such a major communication industry as public relations is now more free to operate without as much scrutiny as it used to have. The honor system is not good enough when it comes to professional communication.